A communication and instruction approach to embodied cultural and social capital at a public, 4-year university

In this study, we explore how students identify and navigate the social structure of higher education and how, in doing so, they communicatively (re)produce socializing norms. To this end, we draw upon the work of the late educational sociologist Pierre Bourdieu to outline a critical communication pedagogical understanding of institutional socialization at a public, 4-year university. We conducted focus groups with 36 college students to understand their perceptions of (in)appropriate communicative behaviors, norms, and attitudes in higher education. We then discuss the importance of their perceptions of social and cultural capital, connect their ascriptions to the (re)production of existing social relationships, and advocate for a renewed focus on seemingly innocuous communication and instruction concepts and variables in light of our findings. Finally, we offer ways for instructors to intervene into the socialization process by making the culture of power visible to all educational participants.